


blue are the feelings

by infiniteviking



Category: Tron (1982), Tron (Movies), Wreck-It Ralph (2012)
Genre: Angst, Canonical Character Death, Crossover, Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-10-10
Updated: 2012-10-10
Packaged: 2017-11-16 00:45:06
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 520
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/533613
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/infiniteviking/pseuds/infiniteviking
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>While game-jumping, Ralph lands in the shambles of a sad cut-scene and makes a new friend… for a little while.</p>
            </blockquote>





	blue are the feelings

**Author's Note:**

> All I know is what the trailers tell me. Apologies for anything that gets jossed when the movie shows up!

"Game-jumping?" The little warrior stared up at Ralph, his eyes wide and awed.

"Yeah. It's not all it's cracked up to be," said Ralph ruefully, trying to run a hand through his hair and coming up against the thick helmet everyone seemed to wear in this game.

His new friend grinned, a strangely lighthearted expression under the circumstances. "Still sounds like fun. I keep meaning to try it, some time when we get a break from freeing the system, but Tron says I should really look into an upgrade first."

"That... might be a good idea," said Ralph, carefully easing him into a more comfortable position against a slanted boulder and trying his hardest to stay calm. The warrior didn't make a sound, even when a spasm of pain jolted across his face; but then, he'd have to be philosophical about something he probably experienced every couple of playthroughs.

It was weird, and scary. Where Ralph had come from, you were either alive or dead, none of this... in-between stuff.

It looked like it hurt.

So, um." Ralph looked around, desperate for a distraction. No power-ups, nothing in the whole area except dull blue cliffs and fractured stones. Blue, blue, blue -- even his own outfit was blue, like the warrior's; blue had never really been his color. "What brings you way out here?"

"Oh." The little guy perked up, eager to explain. "This is the level where we get split up and Tron goes on to the I/O tower while we have to get to the Recognizer before we can catch up with him. But Player_1 didn't pick up enough power at the energy pool. She must've derezzed when the tank got us."

The pauses between his words were getting longer, but the regret in his voice was all for his missing teammates. Definitely protagonist material, thought Ralph, swallowing a lump in his throat. They made it seem so effortless.

"The game's supposed to reset when that happens," continued the warrior. "Hey, maybe it's identifying you as a player character! Don't s'pose you could fix a Recognizer?"

"Uh... fixing things isn't really my gig."

The little guy smiled feebly. "Hey, nobody's perfect."

"I can run pretty fast, though," said Ralph hopefully. "Maybe I could get you to the next stage--"

"There's no next stage for me, my friend." The warrior waved a hand, barely able to lift it. "Truth to tell, I'm lucky to make it this far. Not bad for an actuarial program, huh?"

"You mean... you _always_ die? Like this?" Ralph stared, unable to take it in. Maybe some things were worse than landing in a mud puddle every time the player character won.

"Yeah," breathed the little guy, "but it's not so bad." His tiny hands fumbled up to rest in Ralph's rather larger ones as the bright lines on his armor dulled, went russet, flickered near black; his eyes were entreating. "Look, while you're in here.... think you could help Tron?"

Ralph's lip wobbled, but he set his jaw and answered bracingly, "Count on it."

Maybe blue wasn't such a lousy color after all.

___


End file.
